Apparently, that was a ‘clean cut’. After taking a gander at pics of those saws....I dunno how ‘clean’ this situation would have been. I am no tool expert....however...even the word ‘saber’ might indicate a messy end..... ;)
I don’t trust the MSM to get anything right. A sabre-saw has a fairly small blade and short stroke ... if that’s what they were misusing, it might not be too bad. A reciprocating saw (Sawzall) has a fairly large blade and longer stroke. If that’s what they were misusing ... it’s gonna be ugly.